Patent · US Expired

Pipeline process for automatically measuring object boundary from ultrasound image samples

US5795296A · kind A · utility

39Cited by
9References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 20, 1997
Grant dateAug 18, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 20, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S7/52061
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An ultrasound system automatically measures fetal head size from ultrasound images. An ultrasound image of the fetal head is detected. A radial maxima point is identified on each of a plurality of radii extending from a substantially common vertex point within the fetal head image. Each radial maxima point corresponds to an ultrasound sample along its corresponding radius, and has a maximum ultrasound echo strength. Outlier points are removed and the curve filtered to derive an initial fetal head boundary. An inner fetal head boundary and outer fetal head boundary are derived from the initial fetal head boundary and a predetermined fetal skull thickness, and fetal head size is computed from the inner fetal head boundary and the outer fetal head boundary. Processing is allocated among multiprocessors and performed in pipeline fashion to enable real-time interactive imaging and measuring.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.